My Life Defining Moment

My life defining moment? Well where do I start? My name is Kudzai Blessing Vambe, I’m 21 years old and to be honest, I am more than lucky to be alive.

I’ve told the story so many times now that it almost feels scripted, but I love telling people about it because it is my testimony.

Sheffield City Centre Car Crash

Exactly 45 weeks ago to the day on the 3rd December 2016, I was 20 years old at the time and I was having fun at a small Christmas party with some uni friends just outside of Sheffield’s city centre. At about 4am, the host of the party, his friend and I got into the hosts’ car and made our way to Tesco as there were no mixer drinks to mix the alcohol with back at the party.

On the way to Tesco, the driver lost control of his little Peugeot 206 and the car ended up in the air at about the same height as a traffic light, flipped and landed upside down.

My life from the 3rd to the 17th of December was blank. My last memory was looking out of the front passenger window watching the car slide out of control and my next memory was waking up in Queens hospital in Essex not far from home.

When I finally woke up two weeks later, I learnt that I had a brain injury and that my neck and my jaw had been fractured (my jaw was operated on whilst I was induced into a coma). The driver, only an acquaintance to me, sustained some serious injuries too but the third passenger who sat at the back of the car escaped with just minor scars and bruises. I think it’s fair to say that I was the worst off but I believe God rescued the three of us that night.

I think people would say my recovery has been incredible. Overall, I spent about 6 weeks in hospital after being transferred from Northern General hospital, then to Royal Hallamshire and finally, Queen’s hospital. The fact that I was only in hospital for 6 weeks alone, after suffering such trauma is a miracle in itself. I commend the UK’s National Health Services so highly for the work that all of the Doctors and Nurses involved did to keep me alive. After finally being discharged from hospital on the 5th January 2017, my recovery process was swift and within weeks, I was getting back to my usual self.

Although I still have problems with my memory and concentration and my jaw does give me constant pain, I’ve had rehabilitation throughout this summer which really helped me with my cognitive thinking and most of the remaining problems (mainly my jaw) are getting better with time.

I am now currently back at Sheffield Hallam University repeating my second year of Journalism as I had to take time out to recover. Over the summer I’ve had some amazing opportunities to work as a Compliance Assistant inputting data at the Head Office for the NHS in South Essex, I’ve been to Lanzarote with some family and friends, went to Alton Towers with more friends and the list goes on. I’ll try my best to keep this blog as up-to-date as possible with the activities I get up to.

My mum, dad and little brother were all so strong and right by my side from the beginning. They are still living in Essex getting on with their lives whilst I’m staying up north in the peaceful suburbs of Handsworth in Sheffield with my loving aunty and uncle. I feel so blessed to still be alive, as if nothing happened and I thank God for being so faithful and answering prayer.

That’s about it for now! Thank you so much for taking the time to read the story of what I’ve been through. I hope you hit that follow button and share this with your friends because there is so much more to come.

Life is too short.